Up Close- TAG Heuer Edge

In the late 1990s TAG Heuer began to develop a radically new model range that was to complement the Formula 1 series at the lower-end of the market. That watch was called the Edge.

But despite a small production run, the Edge never made it to market and was cancelled by management in 1999. Some of the unused cases found their way onto the market where they were sold as “TAG Heuer prototypes”.

There has been a lot of confusion over the years about these watches- what the original looked like and the reasons why the Edge was never released. So, here for the first time is the complete story of the watch that never was.

The Edge Range

The TH Edge was designed in the late 1990s and was targeted at young, urban, trendy watch buyers. The Edge was to be an all-quartz range, with both the 3-hand watch you see above, and a Chronograph. There was to both a men’s and ladies’ series offered in two case sizes.

Three dial colours were planned- Black, Anthracite and the bright Orange you see above.

Design

It’s not hard to see where the Edge got its name from. Compared with the rest of the TAG range of the mid- late 1990s, you can see just how square and different the Edge was.

The case of the Edge was major departure and didn’t really look like any other model. The watch had a 40mm sand-blasted case dominated by a square bezel. The case itself was also square in design, except for the round “ears” that sat on either side of the case. These rounded sides meant that while the bezel aligned neatly with the top and bottom of the case, it sat inside the width of the case, giving the watch an unusual look.

And these looks are no accident, as the designers specifically wanted something different and “edgy”, which is what they delivered. But there is no doubt that the end product is a polarising design and one that doesn’t really look like a traditional TAG Heuer.

These square-edges can also be seen on the side of the case which has a series of sharp angles. The lugs are a 17mm width- quite small for a 40mm watch. The crown design was also quite different- the only time that I can recall Heuer or TAG Heuer using a crown with a knurled finish.

While the design works quite well when the bezel in the “0” position, it starts to look a little awkward when it is rotated, as you see below. You’d hope that the bezel was uni-directional, as it’s easy to see how the bezel would get knocked off position given the over-hang.

Despite being an entry-level watch, the Edge had applied markers and a “Mercedes” style hand-set consistent with the rest of the range at the time, albeit with a sharper point on the minute hand.

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